


jaemin's tiny problem

by wineandsoju



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Eventual Romance, M/M, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 12:44:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17704493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wineandsoju/pseuds/wineandsoju
Summary: Jaemin is a victim of circumstances he couldn’t control.When he got out of bed Monday morning, he didn’t guess he’d be doing what he is right now: bribing the security guard with fried chicken bought at the corner store as he smuggles a boy into his dormitory after hours.





	jaemin's tiny problem

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta-read, so sorry for the mistakes.  
> This is my first chaptered work.  
> Hope you'll like it!

Jaemin is a victim of circumstances he couldn’t control.

When he got out of bed Monday morning, he didn’t guess he’d be doing what he is right now: bribing the security guard with fried chicken bought at the corner store as he smuggles a boy into his dormitory after hours.

xxx

The moment his alarm clock rang at 6:30AM five days earlier, he decided that day was nothing out of the norm, except that he had woken up a few hours compared to his typical day. Still, it was Monday, and he needed to get his ass out of bed and drag his feet to prepare for school, just like any other weekday. But just like any other Monday, he knew he was running late. Again.

It wasn’t because of his usual slowness. He was actually moving faster than what’s ordinary for him. In an attempt to dampen his friends’ complaints of his everyday tardiness, he set his alarm much earlier that day. He had more than enough time to do what was needed before he made his way to school, which was only a few minutes away by foot from his conveniently-located dormitory.

Everything was normal.

Yet somehow he had an inkling there’d be something, something fully unwarranted, that would make him maintain the red marks in his attendance sheet. 

It was freezing when he made his way through the front door, bidding goodbye to the security staff manning the entrance. He flashed his heart-stealing smile at the man who told him to have a great day, and to mind the ice that had formed on the ground overnight.

Jaemin shivered when a calm breeze hit his already cold face, and he pulled his heavy coat tighter around him, and readjusted the way his soft beanie sat on his head, making it cover his freezing ears. The day was beautiful despite the cold. The sun was shining bright, and although there weren’t any birds chirping around, he was happy enough to hear the snow crunching beneath his shoes. He appreciated the beauty of the day, never having enough time to just stop and smell the flowers before. He was always in a hurry running to make it to his first class.

But today was different.

It hurt when he breathed in the cold air, but he couldn’t complain. He was going through the local park, and even though the trees were bereft of any leaves, and the ground was blanketed with white snow, he couldn’t help but whisper a quiet thanks to his friends who convinced him to start his day early. It had been a while since he had been able to take his time walking with nature. Everything was perfect.

The sound of his phone’s camera shutter makes its way around the otherwise peaceful surroundings. He smiled apologetically to the few people around him who seemed to be startled by the sudden sound. He was about to put his mobile back into his coat pocket when something from the corner of his eyes catches his attention.

Odd.

Perched on a branch of one of the nearby trees was a—Jaemin squinted his eyes, not completely believing what he was seeing. A squirrel?

“What the hell?” he said out loud as he approached the tree. The tiny creature looked at him, apparently startled by his voice. “I’m sorry,” he apologized.

Did I just apologize to a rodent?, he shook his head, thinking how absurd the situation was.

He took a small step after another, not wanting to scare the little creature any further. When he closed the distance, he rubbed his eyes, still not convinced that someway, somehow, a tiny mammal was out and about on that cold winter morning.

“Hey little guy,” he said in a soft voice, trying not to sound intimidating, “what are you doing outside?” he asked.

A few seconds passed before he realized he was waiting for an answer from a mammal that probably didn’t have the proper lingual parts to even speak a syllable. But he heard it. A tiny squeak coming from the branch on which the animal was sat. A tiny “no.”

He shook his head trying to make sense of what was happening. Did he—did it talk to me?

“What—How—Why are you outside?” he couldn’t help himself from asking.

The squirrel stared at him curiously. He could’ve sworn it was analyzing him, as if it were having a silent debate with itself about whether he was a threat or not.

Jaemin didn’t know how many more minutes had passed since he inquisitively came close to the little creature. He only knew that his nose was starting to hurt from the chilly air, and that he was starting to lose feeling at the tip of his fingers. He checked the time on his phone and wordlessly scolded himself because he was about to run late. Again. And then he was too cold.

He chuckled in disdain. I can’t believe I did this to myself because of a squirrel.

“Well, I’m leaving,” he said not because he thought the animal actually understood him. He said it because it was the Jaemin thing to do. “Try to stay warm, little guy,” he quipped, finally moving away from the tree.

He heard the quick pitter-pattering of tiny paws moving their way down the tree, but he didn’t look back. He was almost out of time, and he didn’t need any more hang-ups for the day.

Squeak!

He fought his inner voice telling him to just take a step back.

Squeak!

“No, it isn’t calling for you,” he whispered to nobody in particular.

“Wait!” a tiny voice called out to him.

Jaemin almost slipped when he turned around, stupefied. His sudden movement felt like it took a whole minute, all throughout he thought to himself how the animal was actually communicating with him. This is it, mom. I can talk to animals now. He would have cried if it weren’t for the harsh weather having possibly frozen his tear ducts.

Imagine his disappointment when he saw a small girl struggling on her dainty feet as she crossed the path to meet him.

“Mister, help!” he could hear the shakiness of her voice. “He… he was running after you…” The girl raised her gloved hands and showed him what was resting on them. “…and then he stopped.” She choked out a sob.

“Shhhh, it’s okay,” he reached out to take the squirrel from her. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

The little girl rubbed her tiny hands on her eyes, calming herself down. “Are you sure?” she looked up at him with utmost trust, as if she was passing the weight of the world onto his hands.

“It’ll be fine,” he reassured her.

To be honest, Jaemin didn’t know a thing about animal care. He had only had a pet hamster when he was in elementary school, and said pet had been missing for years. The last he heard of it was when his mom told him it had been sent to his distant aunt who lived in Jeju.

He stared at the limp creature in his hands and prayed to the heavens for some assistance. The squirrel laid motionless as he placed two of his fingers on its chest, checking for signs of a heartbeat, a hint of breathing—anything that would assure him this situation is salvageable. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he was on the brink of panicking. His hand was shaking. He thought there was nothing else he could do.

"Mister? Is he going to be alright?"

"I… don't know." He promised it would be alright, but at that moment, he wasn't so sure.  
"Can you give him CPR or something?"

Jaemin thought it was crazy, he didn't know how to give a person CPR, let alone do it to this little thing. He thought it would be doing more harm to it, but he knew he couldn't just leave it for dead.

He took a sharp breath and wished a miracle would happen.

He nervously placed his two fingers on the animal's chest again and gently pushed. One, one thousand two, one thousand, three.

Nothing.

He looked up at the little girl in worry, but she was no longer in sight. In his panic, he didn't even hear her walking away. He had half a mind to leave it be. He didn't have an audience anymore, surely it would be easy to just bury the squirrel in the snow. It died of natural causes, didn't it?

But Jaemin wasn't that type of guy.

One, two, three more pumps on the tiny guy's chest and he waited.

When still nothing happened, he debated with himself whether what he was about to do was right, or was he just deluding himself into thinking that he would be able to help the animal. He shook his doubts off and took another deep breath.

The squirrel's face was just a few inches below his. His breath was clouding over it.

"Please," he whispered. "Just be okay."

He held his breath in as he leaned closer to it. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he licked his lips, closing the distance. He was almost there when he felt gravity pulling him to the ground.

"What the fuck, man? Were you seriously going to do mouth to mouth resuscitation on a squirrel?"

Jaemin couldn't even manage to stammer out a response as he struggles to balance himself.

He stared in shock at his arms. He couldn't believe his eyes that the squirrel was no longer in sight.

Instead, there laid a boy.

**Author's Note:**

> My [twitter](https://twitter.com/tsunderensung) and [cc](https://curiouscat.me/renjisung)


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